Review Osprey K/T Reviews

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

Chris, I agree with you that you have nailed a sweet spot here with grindability. Your knives have been downright pleasant to sharpen.

Thanks Jarrett, that means alot coming from you, and I know you know your stuff as a fellow really sharp things fan!!

 

[adequacy]

Part 3 - The Guardless Warthog - A demonstration of Utility and Style - A Review

Hey everyone! I know it's been a long time since I started this, but, as promised, wanted to finish out this review the right way. To touch back on some specs for anyone who is just tuning in, here are the details of the knife. Please refer to part 1 in this thread for photos of the knife initially. Also, this is a lengthy read, so I apologize in advance for the walls of text1

Re-cap on Specifications

OKT Warthog (No Guard)
Steel: CPM 154 - 3/32 Blade stock, Tapered tang, hammered flats

Grind: Flat Grind with convex secondary bevel

Materials: OD Green Canvas Micarta over Natural w/ Ruby Red accent liner (Sandblasted)
Natural Pins

Overall length: ~7.310"
Blade length: ~3.450"
Cutting edge length:~ 3.125"
Blade Height: ~1.375"
Handle length: ~4.250"

Weight: 3.20 oz
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Getting in to the third installment has not been easy for me. At the time of completing the second part of this review, I was just about to start a new job. This new job consumed most of my time, but did allow for some great testing insight. My new job over the summer was an Outdoor Skills instructor working with ages 6 - 14 in the field. Much of our time was spent doing knife carving and fire making.
I carried the knife on and off all summer, with many observations to follow.
The objectives of the third installment are as follows:
1. Provide some first impressions from outside perspectives (I will get into this more below)
2. Continued evaluation of the durability of the knife (extended from part 2)
3. Final impressions / Discussions on the knife after extensive use and time of ownership/ observations from my new job
4. Should you buy a warthog?
-----------------------------------------------------------------

1. Provide some first impressions from outside perspectives

The purpose of this objective is to get some feedback from people who aren't as embedded in the knife community as most of us are. I find this useful because it allows us to gain a perspective that we may not normally consider. The other thing I value in it is that these types of impressions are how we encourage others to join our community and learn what it's all about [and maybe herd in some potential future customers too, ha!]. One thing I always think about is Phil's ( Comprehensivist ) comment about that first lightning in a bottle experience when handling a custom made/hand made knife. For some of these people, this was their first time experiencing that. I'll try to keep the reaction and feedback from these outside perspectives concise and useful, while still providing a little bit of info about their exposure level. I thought this might be a way to add something a little different to a very standard review format that many of us use.

For review part 3, I had 5 people handle/ lightly use my warthog. Here they are:

John - a member of my camping group. Very little knife experience/ ownership. Enjoys regular camping, is the type who has a leatherman/ gerber knife that sees little use. Does appreciate nice things and gear though.
Licia - My girlfriend. Owns two outdoor knives. Lots of knife experience/ handling of custom knives through me. Frequently goes camping, does spoon carving, camp cooking. Does not own any custom/hand made level knives but has used mine.
Dad - Extensive knife ownership and usage. Hunts, skins, fishes. Does not use for wood carving or much bushcraft type of work outside of hunting and fishing. Does EDC a blade and works in construction. Tends to gravitate towards cheaper knives and equipment.
Isaac - Coworker at my outdoor job. High level of forestry knowledge, carving/bushcraft experience. Extensive knife ownership and tool usage, but no customs/hand made. High appreciation for knives but on a limited budget.
Sharon - Coworker at my outdoor job. Uses a mora for everything. I mean everything. Strong outdoor skills knowledge, high appreciation for nice gear but isn't the type who buys it.

I'll break down each person's reactions to the warthog now.

 

[adequacy]

John - This was a lightning in a bottle moment. As soon as he picked up the warthog, I saw his expression. It was like a kid in a candy shop. While he doesn't have a lot of experience using knives, I could tell that he could 'feel' that this would be a nice tool. It matched up in his hand very nicely ( I believe he wears a "Medium" sized glove). He immediately raved about the balance and how he could tell the difference between the warthog and his opinion of a 'normal' knife. John is the type of customer who would buy this and recognize it's greatness, but not put it through it's paces unless he were taught some additional skills. But seeing his appreciation was awesome. I know he has pretty much zero experience handling handmade/American made as he generally opts for 'tech' type gear. This is the type of potential customer who then asks to use your knife and eventually might get to a point where he realizes he wants his own.

Licia - She's all about pragmatism. If it gets the job done, it works well enough for her. For her, a knife (or any tool for that matter) is as good as the job it can do. That being said, she appreciates and recognizes the importance of buying once with quality and making it last forever. Her thoughts on the warthog are that it is a beautiful piece. She thinks its awesome that it's so durable. She loves the weight and the size, but the weight most of all. It matches up in her hand incredibly well (wears a mens "M" size glove also). She found that the balance was awkward for her (The taper is incredibly thin, making the blade control the emphasis). I later realize that her reactions to this are because both of her knives are SFT knives with heavy handle weight, probably now her preference. I'd imagine that she would like a SFT warthog a lot. Most of her tasks with a knife are food and fire prep, which the warthog does well on a lighter scale, but might be a touch small for her uses. It was interesting all the same to hear this reaction, however, because of all my knives she has handled, she recognizes that it's more refined. Something I strongly agree with.

Dad - I only got to visit him for 4 days with the warthog. Here is a man who I wish I could have loaned this to him for a month. He owns one fiddleback, which he is afraid to use because it is too nice. But the rest of his knives, he puts through the ringer. He skins squirrels, scrapes drywall, uses the tip as a screwdriver type of thing. I once gave him a spyderco endura. It lasted two years, and last week he told me the lock ( a lockback ) no longer works. This is who you send a knife to for hard use testing. That being said, he is a tool aficionado, especially after seeing just about everything under the sun doing construction for the last 40+ years. His reaction to the warthog was similar to my other friends and family- this thing is nice. He appreciated the design and the finish. He likes guns that have smooth wood to metal transitions, and he enjoyed that the warthog shared that quality and that all the surfaces were flush and no pins were proud. He also loved the blade shape. He raved about the drop point and the nice belly curvature. It is my bet that if he had this knife, it'd be a nice bird and trout/ edc/ squirrel skinner hybrid for him if he could keep it sharp enough. His only qualm about the knife was the handle, which he said was a little too small for him. In a way, he was right, he does wear an "XL" size glove. I think a trailhand or raptor would be a damn good fit for him. He now checks ebay (his main way of online purchasing) for Osprey K/T products, to no avail. He says he never sees them. I don't know if he understands the typical method for purchasing one, but I also explained to him that it's a good sign that he doesn't ever see them on ebay; it means no one gets rid of them!

Isaac - I'm glad Isaac got to handle this knife. He has handled a fare share of knives. He regularly uses a mix of blades, and will always have 4 knives on his person. His initial reaction when handling the warthog was priceless: "Holy shit this is nice." He said his favorite part of the knife was the taper and the balance. He loved how it molded to his hand and provided a lock in grip. I really appreciated his feedback, because I know his work experience is similar to mine and those were my initial impressions of the warthog too. Here is a guy who will hopefully get an OKT when he's got the money, as I've shared the sales threads with him and watched him drool.

Sharon - Sharon's experience with the warthog was more limited than I would have liked, but I found her comments very valuable, as I know she has a strong set of outdoor skills. She too wears a "Medium" sized glove, and the warthog was the PERFECT fit for her hand. This was another stellar lightning in a bottle example. She exclaimed, "Damn, this thing is comfortable!" as she rotated her hand about. Her notes about the knife were that she was really impressed by the weight and the hammer texturing. She also liked that the blade length and handle length were perfect sizes for her.

For me, as the owner of the knife, it was a lot of fun passing it around and seeing the reactions of my friends and family. As I mentioned earlier, most of them have never had chances to handle custom tools like this, and maybe they never will again. It is clear that the consensus was that they could all recognize the sheer difference in quality and design of the warthog. None of them disliked it, and I imagine if they got farther down the rabbit hole of custom/hand made knife ownership they would be smitten with an OKT.

While this above section is more on the observational side of reviews and less empirical, I hope any of you out there reading this found it to be informative or at least interesting to hear about, and I would encourage you to try this with some of your acquaintances as well to get some outside opinions and reactions.

For Chris, I hope this section is insightful in what aspects of your work really sing to people who aren't familiar with all our terminology.

2. Continued evaluation of the durability of the knife (extended from part 2)

In part 2 of this evaluation, I specifically mentioned several areas where the warthogs workmanship and materials selection had proven to be durable and well crafted. These characteristics included the hammered flats, the sandblasted micarta, the thickness of the knife [as it relates to durability], and the ease of sharpening.

First, the hammered flats. They have been nothing short of incredible. Not only do the add a very appealing aesthetic to the knife when brand new, months and months later, the knife still looks nearly unused. And I'm not a person who babies tools. The hammered flats may be my favorite aspect of Chris' work that I have experienced.

Second, the sandblasted micarta. It remains at the exact level of comfort and gripiness as it did day 1. This factor is of incredible importance to me. As an outdoor camp cook, my tools see a lot of washing and meat prep. That being said, most of my handles with shadetree have changed in texture. While some people like that change, I prefer my knives to remain as they were made from the maker. I have dropped this knife numerous times and have had zero impact on the visual or feel of the micarta. I know that the micarta Chris buys is a trademarked product, but his own sandblasted finish takes an already exceptional product to the next level.

Third, the thickness of the knife as it relates to durability, and of course usage. As mentioned previously, 3/32" is a favorite thickness of mine. There is much more slicing/cutting capability, and in my opinion, zero question of durability. As a test, this warthog has been batoned extensively, and even hit for notching. I even have done some gentle prying when the knife got stuck once or twice (I know, tsk tsk). The point is, there are zero after effects. I think this can be attributed to an excellent heat treat, excellent steel selection, and good design consideration during skeletonization.

Finally, the ease of sharpening. This is something that is very important to me because I need to be able to fix edge issues in the field, but also put on a nice edge at the work bench when I'm at home. This is another example of why heat treat Chris does on CPM 154 is so strong. I really enjoy sharpening this knife. I've use the following sharpening mediums:

Strop with diamond paste
DMT diamond stones xtra coarse through xtra fine.
Chosera Japanese Water stones
Norton Crystolon Silicon Carbide Stones
Spyderco Ceramic

All of the above mediums have worked well. Obviously, there are subtleties that you can find that may encourage you to choose one method or medium in particular, but my main argument here is that no matter your preference, a warthog, or any knife in Chris' CPM 154, can be sharpened in a number of ways effectively. I find this important to mention in this review because some of the modern super steels simply can't be sharpened easily any more. Look at M4, or S110v for example. I know they are popular because of high hardness, but to me they are less functional. Someone might not be able or willing to buy diamond stones to sharpen s110v. Or maybe they don't like the feedback. It's a valuable quality to have versatile sharpening methods at your disposal if you are a potential knife buyer. No additional requirements, yet still good edge retention and ease of sharpening.

Overall, my continued evaluation of the durability of the knife is nothing short of superb. At this point, I'm confident guaranteeing that if I have kids someday, or even grandkids, this warthog will still be around and ready for adventure. Hell, it might be on well past them. And that's both important and valuable to me.

 

[adequacy]

3. Final impressions / Discussions on the knife after extensive use and time of ownership/ observations from my new job

This is probably the most difficult section for me to write. And this is because I've spent a lot of time thinking about this conclusion and it's hard to summarize it all. The most poignant thing I can come up with is a response that is in line with a question @VANCE asked roughly a month ago. That question was something like " Could you use just one knife for a year."

Obviously, many of us in this community can be taken aback by such blasphemies. As knife junkies, why would you ever have to do that? Obviously, there are extenuating circumstances that could create this scenario. Or maybe a financial one where you must sell everything off and keep just one. Which would you choose? Why? For me, the question is a fun exercise. If I review my entire collection, past and present, I can count on one hand how many of my knives I would say I could do this with in my current life. Guess which one is my number one choice? Yup, it's the warthog.

Why? Because it can do everything. And as I mentioned in my last two installments of this review, it may not be the single best at every task, but the fact that it could do everything in a jack of all trades fashion is impressive! I have bushcraft knives that baton better, I have kitchen knives that slice better. Can I carry either of those on me without anyone noticing in every moment of my life? No. But guess what? My warthog can be carried anywhere, at all times, without raising suspicion, without being uncomfortable, and still remaining incredibly useful.

One issue I'd like to bring up, especially as it relates to the one knife to rule them all question, is that of how to carry a warthog. I have two sheaths for this knife, an ISP and a standard belt sheath. While I do like the ISP, especially when in more urban scenarios, I generally gravitate towards the traditional sheath. The reason is that the warthog as an ISP ( especially this taller guard-less variant) borders on a little bit much of a pocket hog during carry, enough to limit movements occasionally. That being said, it's not that bad. Just pointing it out. The other challenge is that no matter how good the ISP, in my opinion, it is less reliable for retention than a traditional sheath. I experience this first hand on the trail this summer with some of my students when using the ISP with a clip. After hiking about 2 miles, I had a student come up to me with my warthog and my ISP sheath bundled together. She said, "Mr. Ryan, isn't this your knife?" I gasped! How the heck did she get that? She said she had found it on the trail when we crossed a creek a mile back. I was eternally grateful, and from that moment on I did not ISP carry my sheath in the field. While I recognize this is no drawback due to the knife or it's maker, I merely bring this up as a public service announcement for those of you looking to purchase a warthog, and to consider your intended uses and how you plan to carry it. For standard,urban carry in an ISP sheath, the warthog will definitely excel.

A drawback I mentioned in my first review was the handle length. My "Large" size glove borders on just too slightly big for the entirety of the handle length by about 1/8" to 1/4". In my second installment, I had mentioned that this length no longer bothered me. Now, as I've carried and owned the knife for the better part of a year, I can say that it's close. The vast majority of time, with this knife, in this role it plays for me, it's a non issue. I'm also completely aware of it's design and usage intentions, which Chris and I have discussed. I think part of me has an unrealistic expectation of having that one knife that is perfect in every way. I now realize that such a knife can't exist. What makes the warthog great in so many ways may come about as a result of the design, and by changing that you have to give up something else. So while, I appreciate everything about the knife, my one issue with it remains a non issue, and it's not like it's even a 3 finger knife. All 4 fingers comfortably rest in the grip, and the blade remains poised for it's next task. I stated in part 2 of the review that if the blade magically had 1/8" magically added on to the length it would remain nearly identical in carry for me, but provide a touch more hand space. I still feel that way, but it's not necessary, and I might be on the upper end of outliers in terms of hand size. This realization also means that it is wise for Chris to keep the design the same size so it can appeal to a wider audience of users!

My final comments, and conclusions, are that this is a knife that represents a pinnacle in craftsmanship and design.

4. Should you buy a warthog?

Yes. Haven't you been reading?

All jokes aside, this is a fantastic knife. I think it makes a great first OKT. I think it makes a great first custom hand made as a gift too. I think if you could only get one, and plan on carrying it all the time, this is the model to get!

*Future considerations*

I have just purchased the warthog/mamushi matchup and we will see how it stacks up to the utilitarian warthog soon enough!

Thanks everyone for reading!

 

[Odaon]

Thank you for finishing out your super insightful review Ryan. I appreciate that you included the thoughts of some non knife-centric folks. I like to do that when I get a new knife as well. Mostly because I like showing them off, but I'm also curious to see what they think of it.

I'm looking forward to my guardless Warthog. As soon as I receive it I'll be putting it through its paces for game cleaning purposes, big and small, fish and bird. I have a good feeling that it will excel at those tasks.

 

[SA Condor]

I finally got my first OKT. I handled the micarta cutouts of the Nomad, the un-named model steak knives, etc before they ever were actually made into a knife. I knew that I ‘needed’ a Nomad for my kitchen. I didn’t get in on the prototype batch, but just recently I scored a sweet little OD canvas with natural liners from the Thursday sale. I was unsure how I was going to get it down here safely to Bolivia, but I found out that a missionary friend was Stateside and I reached out to him. He graciously brought my Nomad to me!

First impression . . . Was not my own, LOL. My friend forgot that I was sending him a couple things and when he received the package from Chris, he promptly overlooked my name with the ℅ and tore into the package. He opened it to find an awesome little knife. He told me that he said, “wow! This is a sweet little knife.” He was super impressed. Then he tried to figure out who sent him such an awesome knife and he realized that it was addressed to me, lol.

So, on to my first impressions. I love the color combo. OD canvas with natural is just a very attractive combo. This thing is lite! I immediately found an old sheath and put it in my pocket. I also broke out a ton of veggies to put this little laser to the test. I ended up cutting up even more veggies then what you see in the picture below.





It did not disappoint. This thing makes for an awesome paring knife. I did way above and beyond what I would normally use a paring knife for and did ALL the food prep with my new Nomad. What I learned from the experience was that my ideal Nomad would need a few tweaks. Don’t get me wrong, I love this little knife. I’ve been carrying it in rotation
with my FF Pocket Kephart and FF Runt and it excels as a small pocket carry fixed blade for everyday uses. It also will continue to excel as a paring knife. I like it much better then my Leif Lambertson paring knife which is also made from 1/16” steel.

Now onto what would make the Nomad just right for me. There are several little nit-picky changes that would take an awesome knife into the perfect parer for me. First of all and most grevious is where the point of the handle hits. I can’t change my grip to get my fingers to fit on there just so to not have the point be in the middle of my middle finger. If it were moved forward just a little, then it would fall in between my index finger and my middle finger and would be much more comfortable in long term use.





Another point of discomfort over extended use (although, like I stated above, I used this in a far greater role then just a paring knife) was the rear swell. When I grip the knife to ‘lock’ it in to my hand, the rear most flare/swell digs in a good bit. I would love to see this more rounded for in hand comfort. Here’s another view to show how squarish it is. You can see how that would dig into the meat of your hand.



This last point is not a big deal, it’s just something that I would like to see on my knife. At the front, the micarta has some very sharpish points. I’d love to see them knocked down ever so slightly.





Chris, I love the knife. It really is a perfect little paring design. The 1/16” steel, the grind, the blade shape, it was a joy to use in the kitchen. I’ve enjoyed carrying it and using it for regular day to day tasks too. It really makes me excited for my K2 Raptor that you are working on. That is going to be a fun kitchen knife!

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

Thanks for the reviews adequacy and SA Condor
I will be composing replies tomorrow.

adequacy I apologize for the late response moving into the new shop has devoured my attention, I read it as soon as you posted it and it blew my socks off, I wanted to wait to reply when it had my undevided attention.

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

Looks like I owe Comprehensivist a reply too.

Apologies to you too Phil and anyone else I have not replied to lately!

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

Phil,

I refreshed myself with this review this morning and after looking at the pictures for a few I got hungry and had to take a break and make some late breakfast. It was good to see that the Nomad has fallen into the role I intended too for you. I have used the Nomad I have at the house (Elena's) a number of times for similar food prepping tasks, it is out on loan right now getting a sheath stencil made for it so I can offer sheaths for this particular model.

Even though I have been to California, it was only for training in the Military and I was stuck in the Mojave Desert. It was neat to see the pictures of the beautiful West Coast, looks so different to any beach here I have seen on the East Coast.

I enjoyed seeing the pictures of the Nomad in the low Tidal pools. I realized why I had not replied, this was posted about a week before Blade Show and as you are well aware I was in an Epic battle with an Epic batch of knives. I really appreciate you taking the time out to post your thoughts about this little knife and how you found it to become useful for you. It seems like the name Nomad is fitting it well, as I thought it would.

I do have a couple of questions for you, what do you find most appealing about this model? And, what design feature was most surprising for you as far as usefulness?

After having this knife for a few months is there anything you would like to add to this?

Thank you for your time and insight as always Phil.


P.S. I had to take out the parts where I quoted you because with my response combined with yours I reached the maximum character limit, something I find rather annoying sometimes along with the 20 picture limit, or well sometimes you cannot have it all.

 

[SA Condor]

it is out on loan right now getting a sheath stencil made for it so I can offer sheaths for this particular model.

Great news! I want to be first on the list to get one of these sheaths

 

[adequacy]

Chris- thanks as always for the hard work you do. Cant wait to hear your responses.

As for Phil and SA Condor and everyone else who contributes to this thread, I love reading the content here so thanks for keeping it going.

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

Part 3 - The Guardless Warthog - A demonstration of Utility and Style - A Review



Hey everyone! I know it's been a long time since I started this, but, as promised, wanted to finish out this review the right way. To touch back on some specs for anyone who is just tuning in, here are the details of the knife. Please refer to part 1 in this thread for photos of the knife initially. Also, this is a lengthy read, so I apologize in advance for the walls of text1



Re-cap on Specifications



OKT Warthog (No Guard)

Steel: CPM 154 - 3/32 Blade stock, Tapered tang, hammered flats



Grind: Flat Grind with convex secondary bevel



Materials: OD Green Canvas Micarta over Natural w/ Ruby Red accent liner (Sandblasted)

Natural Pins



Overall length: ~7.310"

Blade length: ~3.450"

Cutting edge length:~ 3.125"

Blade Height: ~1.375"

Handle length: ~4.250"



Weight: 3.20 oz

-----------------------------------------------------------------



Getting in to the third installment has not been easy for me. At the time of completing the second part of this review, I was just about to start a new job. This new job consumed most of my time, but did allow for some great testing insight. My new job over the summer was an Outdoor Skills instructor working with ages 6 - 14 in the field. Much of our time was spent doing knife carving and fire making.

I carried the knife on and off all summer, with many observations to follow.

The objectives of the third installment are as follows:

1. Provide some first impressions from outside perspectives (I will get into this more below)

2. Continued evaluation of the durability of the knife (extended from part 2)

3. Final impressions / Discussions on the knife after extensive use and time of ownership/ observations from my new job

4. Should you buy a warthog?

-----------------------------------------------------------------



1. Provide some first impressions from outside perspectives



The purpose of this objective is to get some feedback from people who aren't as embedded in the knife community as most of us are. I find this useful because it allows us to gain a perspective that we may not normally consider. The other thing I value in it is that these types of impressions are how we encourage others to join our community and learn what it's all about [and maybe herd in some potential future customers too, ha!]. One thing I always think about is Phil's ( Comprehensivist ) comment about that first lightning in a bottle experience when handling a custom made/hand made knife. For some of these people, this was their first time experiencing that. I'll try to keep the reaction and feedback from these outside perspectives concise and useful, while still providing a little bit of info about their exposure level. I thought this might be a way to add something a little different to a very standard review format that many of us use.



For review part 3, I had 5 people handle/ lightly use my warthog. Here they are:



John - a member of my camping group. Very little knife experience/ ownership. Enjoys regular camping, is the type who has a leatherman/ Gerber knife that sees little use. Does appreciate nice things and gear though.

Licia - My girlfriend. Owns two outdoor knives. Lots of knife experience/ handling of custom knives through me. Frequently goes camping, does spoon carving, camp cooking. Does not own any custom/hand made level knives but has used mine.

Dad - Extensive knife ownership and usage. Hunts, skins, fishes. Does not use for wood carving or much bushcraft type of work outside of hunting and fishing. Does EDC a blade and works in construction. Tends to gravitate towards cheaper knives and equipment.

Isaac - Coworker at my outdoor job. High level of forestry knowledge, carving/bushcraft experience. Extensive knife ownership and tool usage, but no customs/hand made. High appreciation for knives but on a limited budget.

Sharon - Coworker at my outdoor job. Uses a Mora for everything. I mean everything. Strong outdoor skills knowledge, high appreciation for nice gear but isn't the type who buys it.



I'll break down each person's reactions to the warthog now.

Part 1 of reply


Ryan,

I really like how you went about this review! It is very well structured easy to read and chocked full of useful information for me and the user alike.


One of my favorite parts was the opinions of the people mentioned. When I first started making knives, I carried my work everywhere and I would show just about anyone. And would ask what they thought, like you they ran the spectrum of experiences with knives from other custom knife makers to individuals who had no experience with handmade knives. I found their insight and opinions invaluable to my craft and progress.


Even though now I do not carry my work everywhere I still seek out this platform of opinion, and am surprised at the answers I get sometimes. You never know what someone might like or dislike and I like to take all of that information and coalesce it onto a tangible product that I feel would make most people happy with the product I deliver.


I like the term Phil Comprehensivist coined too, the lightning in a bottle is a very fitting phrase when someone experiences a knife that just speaks to them for the first time, I have experienced this phenomenon myself, hence why I got into making knives, and I have also experienced other people's reaction when I handed them one of my knives and their face lights up, the latter part being the most rewarding as a knife maker!


To be continued....

 

[Comprehensivist]

3. Final impressions / Discussions on the knife after extensive use and time of ownership/ observations from my new job

This is probably the most difficult section for me to write. And this is because I've spent a lot of time thinking about this conclusion and it's hard to summarize it all. The most poignant thing I can come up with is a response that is in line with a question @VANCE asked roughly a month ago. That question was something like " Could you use just one knife for a year."

Obviously, many of us in this community can be taken aback by such blasphemies. As knife junkies, why would you ever have to do that? Obviously, there are extenuating circumstances that could create this scenario. Or maybe a financial one where you must sell everything off and keep just one. Which would you choose? Why? For me, the question is a fun exercise. If I review my entire collection, past and present, I can count on one hand how many of my knives I would say I could do this with in my current life. Guess which one is my number one choice? Yup, it's the warthog.

Why? Because it can do everything. And as I mentioned in my last two installments of this review, it may not be the single best at every task, but the fact that it could do everything in a jack of all trades fashion is impressive! I have bushcraft knives that baton better, I have kitchen knives that slice better. Can I carry either of those on me without anyone noticing in every moment of my life? No. But guess what? My warthog can be carried anywhere, at all times, without raising suspicion, without being uncomfortable, and still remaining incredibly useful.

One issue I'd like to bring up, especially as it relates to the one knife to rule them all question, is that of how to carry a warthog. I have two sheaths for this knife, an ISP and a standard belt sheath. While I do like the ISP, especially when in more urban scenarios, I generally gravitate towards the traditional sheath. The reason is that the warthog as an ISP ( especially this taller guard-less variant) borders on a little bit much of a pocket hog during carry, enough to limit movements occasionally. That being said, it's not that bad. Just pointing it out. The other challenge is that no matter how good the ISP, in my opinion, it is less reliable for retention than a traditional sheath. I experience this first hand on the trail this summer with some of my students when using the ISP with a clip. After hiking about 2 miles, I had a student come up to me with my warthog and my ISP sheath bundled together. She said, "Mr. Ryan, isn't this your knife?" I gasped! How the heck did she get that? She said she had found it on the trail when we crossed a creek a mile back. I was eternally grateful, and from that moment on I did not ISP carry my sheath in the field. While I recognize this is no drawback due to the knife or it's maker, I merely bring this up as a public service announcement for those of you looking to purchase a warthog, and to consider your intended uses and how you plan to carry it. For standard,urban carry in an ISP sheath, the warthog will definitely excel.

A drawback I mentioned in my first review was the handle length. My "Large" size glove borders on just too slightly big for the entirety of the handle length by about 1/8" to 1/4". In my second installment, I had mentioned that this length no longer bothered me. Now, as I've carried and owned the knife for the better part of a year, I can say that it's close. The vast majority of time, with this knife, in this role it plays for me, it's a non issue. I'm also completely aware of it's design and usage intentions, which Chris and I have discussed. I think part of me has an unrealistic expectation of having that one knife that is perfect in every way. I now realize that such a knife can't exist. What makes the warthog great in so many ways may come about as a result of the design, and by changing that you have to give up something else. So while, I appreciate everything about the knife, my one issue with it remains a non issue, and it's not like it's even a 3 finger knife. All 4 fingers comfortably rest in the grip, and the blade remains poised for it's next task. I stated in part 2 of the review that if the blade magically had 1/8" magically added on to the length it would remain nearly identical in carry for me, but provide a touch more hand space. I still feel that way, but it's not necessary, and I might be on the upper end of outliers in terms of hand size. This realization also means that it is wise for Chris to keep the design the same size so it can appeal to a wider audience of users!

My final comments, and conclusions, are that this is a knife that represents a pinnacle in craftsmanship and design.

4. Should you buy a warthog?

Yes. Haven't you been reading?

All jokes aside, this is a fantastic knife. I think it makes a great first OKT. I think it makes a great first custom hand made as a gift too. I think if you could only get one, and plan on carrying it all the time, this is the model to get!

*Future considerations*

I have just purchased the warthog/mamushi matchup and we will see how it stacks up to the utilitarian warthog soon enough!

Thanks everyone for reading!

Well done Ryan! I thoroughly enjoyed this 3rd installment in your ongoing review of the Warthog. I appreciate the fact that you let some time go by between the first and last parts so that your thoughts and opinions were based on thorough usage over time. That experience gives your message more credibility to me as a reader than other reviews done on the day the knife arrived when excitement for the new thing crowds out critical judgement about potential shortcomings. This installment actually captures both of those elements by enlisting others to share their initial impressions, then digging in for your experienced summary to close it out. You make a great case for why the guardless Warthog is a great Jack-of-All-Trades knife.

Thanks again for your thorough review. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to pull a big project like this together. You did an excellent job.

 

[Comprehensivist]

I finally got my first OKT. I handled the micarta cutouts of the Nomad, the un-named model steak knives, etc before they ever were actually made into a knife. I knew that I ‘needed’ a Nomad for my kitchen. I didn’t get in on the prototype batch, but just recently I scored a sweet little OD canvas with natural liners from the Thursday sale. I was unsure how I was going to get it down here safely to Bolivia, but I found out that a missionary friend was Stateside and I reached out to him. He graciously brought my Nomad to me!

First impression . . . Was not my own, LOL. My friend forgot that I was sending him a couple things and when he received the package from Chris, he promptly overlooked my name with the ℅ and tore into the package. He opened it to find an awesome little knife. He told me that he said, “wow! This is a sweet little knife.” He was super impressed. Then he tried to figure out who sent him such an awesome knife and he realized that it was addressed to me, lol.

So, on to my first impressions. I love the color combo. OD canvas with natural is just a very attractive combo. This thing is lite! I immediately found an old sheath and put it in my pocket. I also broke out a ton of veggies to put this little laser to the test. I ended up cutting up even more veggies then what you see in the picture below.

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It did not disappoint. This thing makes for an awesome paring knife. I did way above and beyond what I would normally use a paring knife for and did ALL the food prep with my new Nomad. What I learned from the experience was that my ideal Nomad would need a few tweaks. Don’t get me wrong, I love this little knife. I’ve been carrying it in rotation
with my FF Pocket Kephart and FF Runt and it excels as a small pocket carry fixed blade for everyday uses. It also will continue to excel as a paring knife. I like it much better then my Leif Lambertson paring knife which is also made from 1/16” steel.

Now onto what would make the Nomad just right for me. There are several little nit-picky changes that would take an awesome knife into the perfect parer for me. First of all and most grevious is where the point of the handle hits. I can’t change my grip to get my fingers to fit on there just so to not have the point be in the middle of my middle finger. If it were moved forward just a little, then it would fall in between my index finger and my middle finger and would be much more comfortable in long term use.

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Another point of discomfort over extended use (although, like I stated above, I used this in a far greater role then just a paring knife) was the rear swell. When I grip the knife to ‘lock’ it in to my hand, the rear most flare/swell digs in a good bit. I would love to see this more rounded for in hand comfort. Here’s another view to show how squarish it is. You can see how that would dig into the meat of your hand.

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This last point is not a big deal, it’s just something that I would like to see on my knife. At the front, the micarta has some very sharpish points. I’d love to see them knocked down ever so slightly.

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Chris, I love the knife. It really is a perfect little paring design. The 1/16” steel, the grind, the blade shape, it was a joy to use in the kitchen. I’ve enjoyed carrying it and using it for regular day to day tasks too. It really makes me excited for my K2 Raptor that you are working on. That is going to be a fun kitchen knife!

Congratulations Luke on your first OK&T knife. The Nomad falls right into small EDC size range you seem to prefer for most uses. You showed that it makes a great little food prep knife with good finger clearance for its size thanks to upward tilted handle. The 1/16” thick CPM 154 with Chris’ fantastic grind and edge sharpening has a lot to do with that efficiency too.

Thanks for including all the in-hand photos to go along with your comments on the handle details. I agree with your recommendation to move the point on the bottom of the handle forward about 1/4” to form an index finger depression and a smoother section for the middle and ring fingers for large® hands common to typically male customers. With that said, women with petite hands and/or slim fingers will probably find the current position allows two fingers on each side of the point. It is hard for knife makers to please all customers given the range of hand sizes.

I appreciate your comments on potential handle pressure points and/or hot spots in use. The sharp edges on the front of the handle can be an issue on a knife that is going to see a lot of pinch grip use. You could lightly kiss those edges with some fine wet & dry sandpaper if it really bugs you. The back end of the handle looks pretty well radiused without losing its design form. I wouldn’t be disappointed if Chris rounded-off the flare of the pommel a little more. I don’t think that would sacrifice any utility in use.

Please keep us posted how the Nomad works for you over time. I predict that you will like the K2 Raptor also when it arrives. Thanks!

Phil

 

[SA Condor]

Congratulations Luke on your first OK&T knife. The Nomad falls right into small EDC size range you seem to prefer for most uses. You showed that it makes a great little food prep knife with good finger clearance for its size thanks to upward tilted handle. The 1/16” thick CPM 154 with Chris’ fantastic grind and edge sharpening has a lot to do with that efficiency too.

Thanks for including all the in-hand photos to go along with your comments on the handle details. I agree with your recommendation to move the point on the bottom of the handle forward about 1/4” to form an index finger depression and a smoother section for the middle and ring fingers for large® hands common to typically male customers. With that said, women with petite hands and/or slim fingers will probably find the current position allows two fingers on each side of the point. It is hard for knife makers to please all customers given the range of hand sizes.

I appreciate your comments on potential handle pressure points and/or hot spots in use. The sharp edges on the front of the handle can be an issue on a knife that is going to see a lot of pinch grip use. You could lightly kiss those edges with some fine wet & dry sandpaper if it really bugs you. The back end of the handle looks pretty well radiused without losing its design form. I wouldn’t be disappointed if Chris rounded-off the flare of the pommel a little more. I don’t think that would sacrifice any utility in use.

Please keep us posted how the Nomad works for you over time. I predict that you will like the K2 Raptor also when it arrives. Thanks!

Phil

Thanks for your comments Phil. I agree, if the pommel flare would be rounded off a bit more, it would not change the aesthetics. It really is an attractive little knife. It has definitely whet my appetite for the K2 Raptor.

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

Part 2

John - This was a lightning in a bottle moment. As soon as he picked up the warthog, I saw his expression. It was like a kid in a candy shop. While he doesn't have a lot of experience using knives, I could tell that he could 'feel' that this would be a nice tool. It matched up in his hand very nicely ( I believe he wears a "Medium" sized glove). He immediately raved about the balance and how he could tell the difference between the warthog and his opinion of a 'normal' knife. John is the type of customer who would buy this and recognize it's greatness, but not put it through it's paces unless he were taught some additional skills. But seeing his appreciation was awesome. I know he has pretty much zero experience handling handmade/American made as he generally opts for 'tech' type gear. This is the type of potential customer who then asks to use your knife and eventually might get to a point where he realizes he wants his own.

I like seeing individuals reactions when they handle a handcrafted knife for the first time as well! This makes me happy to read that he noticed immediately the advantages and features incorporated into the Warthog. If he ever decides to take the plunge send him my way!

Licia - She's all about pragmatism. If it gets the job done, it works well enough for her. For her, a knife (or any tool for that matter) is as good as the job it can do. That being said, she appreciates and recognizes the importance of buying once with quality and making it last forever. Her thoughts on the warthog are that it is a beautiful piece. She thinks its awesome that it's so durable. She loves the weight and the size, but the weight most of all. It matches up in her hand incredibly well (wears a mens "M" size glove also). She found that the balance was awkward for her (The taper is incredibly thin, making the blade control the emphasis). I later realize that her reactions to this are because both of her knives are SFT knives with heavy handle weight, probably now her preference. I'd imagine that she would like a SFT warthog a lot. Most of her tasks with a knife are food and fire prep, which the warthog does well on a lighter scale, but might be a touch small for her uses. It was interesting all the same to hear this reaction, however, because of all my knives she has handled, she recognizes that it's more refined. Something I strongly agree with.

I see a trend developing here with comfort in the hand, I too am a very pragmatic person, and can relate to the feeling of wanting a heavy knife when that is what you are use too. Back in the day before I knew anything about handmade knives, I opted for the heavier knives full tang construction, I equated weight with durability, once I got more acquainted with knives better my opinion changed, weight has its place in certain knives, but balance for the knifes intended purpose is paramount above all else. I would be curious to know how she felt about the larger Razorback which would give her a more substantial feeling knife in her hand with all of the qualities of the Warthog.

Dad - I only got to visit him for 4 days with the warthog. Here is a man who I wish I could have loaned this to him for a month. He owns one fiddleback, which he is afraid to use because it is too nice. But the rest of his knives, he puts through the ringer. He skins squirrels, scrapes drywall, uses the tip as a screwdriver type of thing. I once gave him a Spyderco endura. It lasted two years, and last week he told me the lock ( a lock-back ) no longer works. This is who you send a knife to for hard use testing. That being said, he is a tool aficionado, especially after seeing just about everything under the sun doing construction for the last 40+ years. His reaction to the warthog was similar to my other friends and family- this thing is nice. He appreciated the design and the finish. He likes guns that have smooth wood to metal transitions, and he enjoyed that the warthog shared that quality and that all the surfaces were flush and no pins were proud. He also loved the blade shape. He raved about the drop point and the nice belly curvature. It is my bet that if he had this knife, it'd be a nice bird and trout/ EDC / squirrel skinner hybrid for him if he could keep it sharp enough. His only qualm about the knife was the handle, which he said was a little too small for him. In a way, he was right, he does wear an "XL" size glove. I think a Trailhand or raptor would be a damn good fit for him. He now checks eBay (his main way of online purchasing) for Osprey K/T products, to no avail. He says he never sees them. I don't know if he understands the typical method for purchasing one, but I also explained to him that it's a good sign that he doesn't ever see them on eBay; it means no one gets rid of them!

I really enjoyed reading your fathers reaction to the Warthog, someone with that kind practice experience under there belt is always a valued opinion in my eyes. I was also pleased to read that he liked the utilitarian aspects of the Warthog and would make a bet he would love the EDU for its utilitarian qualities as well. I would also like to see his opinion of the Razorback which is a larger version of the Warthog that would fit his XL size hand nicely and would give him everything he liked in the Warthog which increased durability and toughness due to its size and heft over the Warthog.



I keep my eyes on the secondary Market and you are correct they do not show up often and do not sit for long. Hopefully one day we can get your father an OKT!

Isaac - I'm glad Isaac got to handle this knife. He has handled a fare share of knives. He regularly uses a mix of blades, and will always have 4 knives on his person. His initial reaction when handling the warthog was priceless: "Holy shit this is nice." He said his favorite part of the knife was the taper and the balance. He loved how it molded to his hand and provided a lock in grip. I really appreciated his feedback, because I know his work experience is similar to mine and those were my initial impressions of the warthog too. Here is a guy who will hopefully get an OKT when he's got the money, as I've shared the sales threads with him and watched him drool.

Send him my way when he is ready! I am super pleased he was impressed with the knife as well and that he felt that way given his experience with knives already, that is an awesome confirmation of the knifes quality and design!

Sharon - Sharon's experience with the warthog was more limited than I would have liked, but I found her comments very valuable, as I know she has a strong set of outdoor skills. She too wears a "Medium" sized glove, and the warthog was the PERFECT fit for her hand. This was another stellar lightning in a bottle example. She exclaimed, "Damn, this thing is comfortable!" as she rotated her hand about. Her notes about the knife were that she was really impressed by the weight and the hammer texturing. She also liked that the blade length and handle length were perfect sizes for her.

I love hearing these lightning in a bottle reactions, I also liked hearing that the hammer texturing stood out to her.

Seems like everyone so far found the knife comfortable in the hand. Sounds like the Warthog would be a good fit for her!

For me, as the owner of the knife, it was a lot of fun passing it around and seeing the reactions of my friends and family. As I mentioned earlier, most of them have never had chances to handle custom tools like this, and maybe they never will again. It is clear that the consensus was that they could all recognize the sheer difference in quality and design of the warthog. None of them disliked it, and I imagine if they got farther down the rabbit hole of custom/hand made knife ownership they would be smitten with an OKT.



While this above section is more on the observational side of reviews and less empirical, I hope any of you out there reading this found it to be informative or at least interesting to hear about, and I would encourage you to try this with some of your acquaintances as well to get some outside opinions and reactions.



For Chris, I hope this section is insightful in what aspects of your work really sing to people who aren't familiar with all our terminology.

Ryan, I am really happy you took the time to pass this knife around and get as many opinions as you could about the Warthog across the spectrum of knife users. Sounds like it affirmed your opinion of the Warthog you already had a strong liking too, it also affirms for me the design and craftsmanship incorporated into my work and reading these responses never gets old.


Thank you for this valuable insight and I hope it serves useful to other people as it has been useful to you and I.






Too be continued…..

 

[Osprey Knife & Tool]

Part 3

2. Continued evaluation of the durability of the knife (extended from part 2)

In part 2 of this evaluation, I specifically mentioned several areas where the warthogs workmanship and materials selection had proven to be durable and well crafted. These characteristics included the hammered flats, the sand blasted micarta, the thickness of the knife [as it relates to durability], and the ease of sharpening.

First, the hammered flats. They have been nothing short of incredible. Not only do the add a very appealing aesthetic to the knife when brand new, months and months later, the knife still looks nearly unused. And I'm not a person who babies tools. The hammered flats may be my favorite aspect of Chris' work that I have experienced.

I am glad you pointed out the hammer textured flats, this is a part of my work that is labor intensive and involves sanding the flats prior to heat treatment and texturing with a hammer by hand to give the aesthetics you find appealing, I also liked that you mentioned the flats held up well to use and these two reasons combined are why I continue to do this on each and every knife.

Second, the sand blasted micarta. It remains at the exact level of comfort and grippiness as it did day 1. This factor is of incredible importance to me. As an outdoor camp cook, my tools see a lot of washing and meat prep. That being said, most of my handles with shadetree have changed in texture. While some people like that change, I prefer my knives to remain as they were made from the maker. I have dropped this knife numerous times and have had zero impact on the visual or feel of the micarta. I know that the micarta Chris buys is a trademarked product, but his own sandblasted finish takes an already exceptional product to the next level.

The sandblasting of micarta was another subtle aspect that I find important and the G10 handles have the same finish, I am sure you noticed when the handle gets wet when using the handle get even grippier, someone later on in this thread asked about maintenance, I recommend dawn soap and water to wash the handle scales and if you need to scrub I find a toothbrush works well to free up any debris that may end up stuck to the micarta, I would not recommend anything more abrasive than that as it can change the feel and grippiness of the scales

Third, the thickness of the knife as it relates to durability, and of course usage. As mentioned previously, 3/32" is a favorite thickness of mine. There is much more slicing/cutting capability, and in my opinion, zero question of durability. As a test, this warthog has been batoned extensively, and even hit for notching. I even have done some gentle prying when the knife got stuck once or twice (I know, tsk tsk). The point is, there are zero after effects. I think this can be attributed to an excellent heat treat, excellent steel selection, and good design consideration during skeletonization.

At first it took me awhile to get used to using 3/32" mainly because my experience with steel was limited to high carbons, But I have found with the right heat treatment CPM154 is quite durable in thin cross section and will take a fair amount of abuse, I have over the years tweaked my heat treatment to fit my own desired effect on the steel, and from what I have observed personally and what you and everyone else says I am confident I have a really good heat treatment regiment going!

Finally, the ease of sharpening. This is something that is very important to me because I need to be able to fix edge issues in the field, but also put on a nice edge at the workbench when I'm at home. This is another example of why heat treat Chris does on CPM 154 is so strong. I really enjoy sharpening this knife. I've use the following sharpening mediums:

Strop with diamond paste
DMT diamond stones xtra coarse through xtra fine.
Chosera Japanese Water stones
Norton Crystolon Silicon Carbide Stones
Spyderco Ceramic

All of the above mediums have worked well. Obviously, there are subtleties that you can find that may encourage you to choose one method or medium in particular, but my main argument here is that no matter your preference, a warthog, or any knife in Chris' CPM 154, can be sharpened in a number of ways effectively. I find this important to mention in this review because some of the modern super steels simply can't be sharpened easily any more. Look at M4, or S110v for example. I know they are popular because of high hardness, but to me they are less functional. Someone might not be able or willing to buy diamond stones to sharpen s110v. Or maybe they don't like the feedback. It's a valuable quality to have versatile sharpening methods at your disposal if you are a potential knife buyer. No additional requirements, yet still good edge retention and ease of sharpening.

Overall, my continued evaluation of the durability of the knife is nothing short of superb. At this point, I'm confident guaranteeing that if I have kids someday, or even grandkids, this warthog will still be around and ready for adventure. Hell, it might be on well past them. And that's both important and valuable to me.

I am a big fan of CPM154 for the reasons you stated above, it is a true stainless steel but sharpens almost as easily as a high carbon making edge sharpening and maintenance relatively easy, as a maker it is incumbent on me to use a steel that imparts qualities that a user would find desirable and useful, I find it is a well rounded steel that offers alot to the user it may not be the best at everything but in my opinion it is one of the best all around user steels on the market.

Ryan in closing I would like to thank you for the in depth and concise review that you put so much time and effort into, and it is very rewarding to see the qualities I hope to impart on the knife speak to you the user and others that you mentioned. This review has proven to be a valuable resource for me that I have read over and over again to absorb all the information you provided and I hope it serves as a resource to other potential buyers when deciding if this knife is the right one for them as well.

 

[Oyster]

This is such a great thread - and an excellent example of what I enjoy about the forums.
It also firmly cemented my desire to try a Warthog. The only question is with or without a guard...?

 

[adequacy]

This is such a great thread - and an excellent example of what I enjoy about the forums.
It also firmly cemented my desire to try a Warthog. The only question is with or without a guard...?

I personally enjoy the guard-less . I mentioned my reasons earlier on this thread, but it's mostly because you get a little more blade height out of it, as well as ease of sharpening!

Will it be an EDC knife for you? Also, will you be cutting any rope or boxes? I might be able to help answer that question.

 

[Oyster]

I personally enjoy the guard-less . I mentioned my reasons earlier on this thread, but it's mostly because you get a little more blade height out of it, as well as ease of sharpening!

Will it be an EDC knife for you? Also, will you be cutting any rope or boxes? I might be able to help answer that question.

Thanks for offering your advice. I’m inclined to agree with you.
It’s partially also an esthetic choice - I prefer the look of the guardless version a little more. But if I saw one in the right dress, I don’t think the guard would deter me, they both look great.
Yes, it would be more of an EDC/around the house knife as well as a hiking companion. I prefer fixed blades, but living/working in a (very) urban environment forces me to carry a folder most of the time. I will often carry a small fixed blade in my pack, however.